RALEIGH, N.C. (SMU) – Junior midfielder Claire Oatesscored the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute, to lift the [RV] SMU women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over East Carolina Wednesday night at the Dail Soccer Complex on the N.C. State campus.

With the win, SMU (10-3-1, 4-0-1 AAC) takes control of first place in the American Athletic Conference, as No. 21 Connecticut plays UCF Thursday. East Carolina falls to 4-9-0 overall, and 0-4-0 in The American.

"I thought we played well," SMU head coach Chris Petrucelli said. "We created a lot of chances up front and had a number of opportunities on goal. Claire [Oates] was really aggressive with the ball all night, and managed to score late to win the game."

With under six minutes to play in regulation, freshman Jessica Cooley sent a cross into the box, where Oates collected the loose ball and fired a shot from five-yards out to break the 0-0 tie. The goal was the 16th goal of her career,  and sixth of the season, tying her single-season high.

The SMU offense recorded 17 shots, eight on frame, and forced nine corner kicks. Nine different Mustangs recorded a shot, with Oates and fellow midfielder Hannah Fleet leading the way with four apiece.

Sophomore goalkeeper Catie Brown earned her third clean sheet of the season, recording a career-high six saves. Brown lowered her season goals against average to 0.94.

The match was played in Raleigh due to flood conditions caused in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

SMU returns to action Sunday, when it heads to Cincinnati. The match versus the Bearcats is slated for 1 p.m. ET/12 CT. A live stream and live stats can be found on SMUMustangs.com.

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU women's soccer on Twitter at @SMUSoccerW, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUSoccerw, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SMUSoccerW.

Postgame Notes:

• The last season SMU won 10 games was in 2011 (11-8-1)
• The last time SMU remained undefeated through the first five games of conference play was in 2006 (went 7-0 to open conference)
• SMU improves to 6-4-2 all-time against East Carolina
• Claire Oates now has six goals this season, tying her single-season best (6 in 2014)
• SMU is outscoring opponents, 38-13. SMU is averaging 2.71 goals per game, while the opposition is averaging 0.93.
• SMU has tallied 239 shots, 119 on goal (49.8 percent), while holding opponents to 147 shots, 46 on goal (31.3 percent).

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

ECNL Girls N. Atlantic Players to Watch

Women's NCAA Tournament Round Two Preview

Hornets Add 7 on National Signing Day